Friday, 26 April 2013

Two of the Octagon Clinic's Chiropractors - Hazel Dillon and Rachel Hodson, braved the sunny day and busy crowds to provide massage for The Octagon's chosen charity Tommy's and all their dedicated runners!

We had a great time and Tommy's laid out a wonderful spread for their runners - massage, delicious food and a childrens entertainer.

We were kept busy throughout the afternoon as steadily the runners strolled, hobbled and crawled themselves through the doorsfor their post race massage, everyone was in great spirits and mostly relieved to be finished.

Tommy's Bear

We both received a lovely thank you gift from Tommy's for our time which are proudly displayed in the clinic.

We would also like to add a big well done for Rachel's sister Natalie Hodson and Emma's mum Gillian Silverthorn who both successfully completed the Marathon yesterday.

We can only admire those people who have the dedication to train for all those months and then run the Marathon raising money for their chosen charities - many for very personal reasons. We salute you all and hope that you were able to get out of bed the following morning without too many aches and pains!

Hazel Dillon and Rachel Hodson at the London Marathon

Rachel Hodson and Hazel Dillon are Chiropractors at the Octagon Clinic

Friday, 19 April 2013

As we come to the end of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) Chiropractic Awareness Week, with this year's focus on the 'Back Perils of Parenting',here's our summary of their findings, advice and top tips...As a parent it is all too easy to put a strain on your back when taking care of your young children, there is constant bending involved - picking up toys, picking up children and generally attending to their every need. You will also spend a lot of time carrying your children around and trying to hold on to a heavy, wriggling bundle is hard for even the most athletic among us.All of the above show the importance of making sure you are not damaging your back, because, as all parents have probably already experienced; it makes life extra hard when you feel unwell and you need to take care of your children.Recent research undertaken by the BCA has shown that 81% of people living in London have suffered from either back or neck pain at some point in their lives - 61% of those being parents. Those parents found suffering commented that their pain had prevented them from either lifting or carrying their child.The following advice is being offered to parents by the BCA on how to maintain a healthy back whilst enjoying time with their children.Carrying a baby or toddler

Carry your baby close to your centre of gravity - slings are great for this

check the instructions to make sure you wear the carrier correctly and that your babies weight feels evenly distributed and you don't feel any strain or pressure in one area more than others

If carrying your child without a sling, again keep their weight close to your body and your hip - keeping your spine straight and swap sides regularly

Encouraging toddlers to do as much for themselves as possible helps save your back - for example, climbing into their car seat

As well as needing to carry your child you also need to carry the large amount of items that are needed at all times - rucksack style bags are best as the weight can be distributed evenly over both shoulders and your back - make sure straps are tightened so the bag is held against your back (this reduces the pull on your shoulders)

Using a pushchair

Adjustable height settings are ideal, so that the handle can be the correct height for everyone who pushes it

you should be able to walk upright with a straight spine and your hands resting at a comfortable height - this helps you maintain a good posture

Ease of assembly and collapse is essential for your sanity as well as your back - pushing down hard with only one foot or hand with stiff or complicated mechanisms can place strain in one area, a pushchair that comes apart in sections will be lighter; lifting individual pieces rather than the whole thing in one go

Playing with your child

getting down to your childs level will reduce the amount of time you spend bending down

watch your child as they demonstrate perfectly a natural squatting posture and try to emanate this when you are picking up toys, food etc. off the floor

Choosing a cot

Make sure that there is plenty of room once the cot is in place so that you can move around it freely and not have to twist or strain

Placing your child in the cot, whilst keeping them as close to your body as possible is best for your back - if you hold them at arm's length and lift them over the high side bars you are increasing the weight by approximately x 5 - so the ideal way is to place them straight across onto the mattress - remember - you will be doing this thousands of times

Feeding

Always find a comfortable position when feeding. Try not to take your babies weight in your arms - use extra pillows for support

It is common for mums and dads to get neck strain from bending down and twisting whilst feeding (it's impossible not to gaze at that adorable little face!)

Changing sides to feed - also with a bottle - helps to spread strain more evenly through the body

Feeding a child in a high chair can also place strain on your back - try to get as close as possible and the child's chair at a good height so you don't have to lean or bend too much

In the car

When putting your baby in the car - hold them close to you, keep your back straight and bend your knees when you have got as close as possible to the car seat

If carrying your baby in a chair, rest the chair on the edge of the seat, then manoeuvre it into position within the car, bending at your hips and knees and not at the waist

Avoid reaching out with the seat or child too early

We hope that you find this advice helpful and are able to action it into your daily lives. If you are a parent and are concerned about the health of your spine, please contact the clinic [020 85632608] for a free 15 minute consultation to see if Chiropractic could help you.

Monday, 1 April 2013

As April is the month of the Virgin London Marathon we thought we would show you some stretches for the calf muscles. This is often an area that runners feel tension in and if the calf is tight it can lead on to tension in the Achilles tendon and often lead to pain.

Most people will recognise these stretches and most likely already do them, but I have found in clinic that often people don't know about the 2nd stretch which, with a slight change in position, stretches another muscle underneath the main calf muscle that we usually feel and see.

The main muscle we think about in the calf is called the Gastrocnemius (Gastroc for short) and the muscle underneath is called the Soleus. These muscles are known together as the Triceps Surae (because there are 3 of them).

Here is a picture so that you can visualise where they are on your leg - this always helps when performing a stretch as you can take note of whether you are feeling it in the correct place.

The 1st stretch is for the superficial muscle - the Gastroc. Stand facing the wall, place the leg you wish to stretch behind you and lean on the wall for support. Keep your heel flat on the floor and your back leg straight, if you don't feel a stretch yet then bring your leg further back or lean your body downwards more - you should feel the stretch in the top / middle of the calf.

I generally recommend people to stretch a muscle for a count of 20 seconds and then swap to the other side, if you feel you want to stretch a little more then you can repeat on both sides again.

The 2nd stretch is for the deeper muscle - the Soleus. Adopting the same position as above this time you want to bend the back leg at the knee, always keeping the heel of the foot firmly on the floor. If you find it hard to bend the knee with the leg the same distance back then bring the back leg a little closer to you and try again - sometimes if this muscle is tight you will find it hard to bend the knee with the leg the same distance back as the 1st stretch. With this stretch you will feel it lower down at the bottom of the calf.If you find the 2nd stretch difficult because you are getting pain in the front of the ankle you may have a restriction in the ankle joint and may choose to visit your Chiropractor.If you are training for the marathon and feel like your body could do with a tune up then please come along to the clinic for a free consultation and see if Chiropractic can help you on the road to a quicker finish time.

Chiropractors Hazel and Rachel from the Octagon will be helping out with massage after the Virgin London Marathon in the Tommys tent, we look forward to seeing you there.